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What are your opinions about fishing boundaries for tournaments. Should they be limited or should it be how far you want to run and how fast you can get there and back also issues about trailering a boat to far off point to fish then run back via water to weigh in? Just thought I'd stir the pot and hear everyones opinion. This is not a bashing contest just honest opinions?
OK, I will bite. I prefer no boundries and no checkouts. If I want to stay up all night trailering somewhere (of course if I weigh a fish, I have to go back to the trailer) or travel +100 via water to a spot I should be able to. Sometimes it might be to get away from a crowd, sometimes it might be to get to where there are actually fish. All that time, effort and money does not always payoff, in fact if you look at every tournament, it is probably one in ten that has someone makes a long run and it pays off. Usually you are lucky to break even. Some say it is unfair, smaller, slower boats can't compete, I say bunk. Look at all the tournaments and you will see it is often the 23 and under boat or someone that stays in the local inlet that wins the event. The need for boundries is based on the believe that the weekend guy that just fishes a few events doesn't stand a chance and that is just not so. I think boundries and checkouts are one of the factors in reducing participation in events. I will give you example. Let say I live in Morehead, I like fishing that area, know my way around. Lets say there is a tournament in Southport that allows me to stay home,sleep in my own bed, fish my local waters and IF I catch a good fish, run it to the scales. That event might draw 10 or 15 Morehead boats, same with guys out of Georgetown. They will often fish in Southport area events if they can fish their own waters. Another practice that reduces participation is setting boundries that exclude an area that holds fish that time of year. In essence you are saying you want the event to have mediocre fishing instead of good or great fishing. Not a way to attract participation.
I have less of a problem with checkouts as I at least have the option of running to spots. Remember, it is hard to catch fish running up the ICW.
It seems to me some want to make tournament fishing like an IROC race, we all get the same boats, same gear, same electronics and go fish the same spot. That maybe where the sport is headed but if it is, I'll take up grouper fishing or something.
Good perspective from an avid fisherman, however if you look at larger tournament such as Big Rock and other billfish events they have set boundaries but do not have have problems attracting fishermen. I could care less either way because regardless of if they have them or not I feel more comfortable in my area even if there are no fish. On an economic end it would benefit the area hosting the touney because of the influx of money for that weekend. I think all of these issues should be looked at for the tournaments. Anyone else have any opinions on this? Or is this one of those subjucts that draws too much fire?
I'm like the boundaries that tend to level the playing field but don't feel real strongly about them. Now checkouts are another issue. With the cost of gas, why require what sometimes is a long run to a checkout point. Like the previous post, if I can sleep in my own bed, run my own inlet, and fish familiar waters, I've saved the cost of a motel room, the gas to trailer the boat, the time required to trailer the boat somewhere, and the gas required to run to a checkout point. Plus the checkout adds to the manpower requirement of a tourney. It's not like it draws a crowd of spectators.
So, put me in the for boundaries and the for checkouts.
You make a good point, SeaPA, and I would agree except...the only way to enforce boundaries is to have check outs. Even with checkouts, as boats get faster, we'll have people weighing fish in the US Open caught in Marathon. A Southport tourney or a Morehead City tourney should weigh only fish caught only in the Southport or Morehead area. I only fish a couple of tourneys a year, so my participation or lack thereof will not be missed, but I will not fish a "no-check-out" tourney.
I guess there in lies the dilemma, I refuse to fish a tournament outside my area that has a checkout. Boundaries are easy enough to enforce with lie detectors and 200+ baots coaming the ocean. So much of this stuff is an honor system anyway (lines in the water time, max lines to fish, etc), cheaters will always find a way to cheat. Why have boundaries and check outs, they both seem designed to accomplish the same thing, but the checkouts do give an advantage to the faster baots. IMO
Of course, there are enough tourneys in the NC SC area to satisfy everyone.
I'll tell you one thing I didn't like though was the after dark ckeckin at the Nationals in Biloxi. I didn't like running unfamiliar waters in the dark with a bunch of Nascar on the Water Wannabes.
I have to bite on this one too. My perspective is that a local tournament should be fished in local waters, meaning boundries. Has nothing to do with boat size or speed, and the boundries can be 50 miles north or south, and as far offshore as you want to go. That provides 5000 sq. miles +/- of fishing area. With boundries, no check out is needed, unless the tourny wants everyone to get an even start. How can an Atlantic Beach tournament be called that if you can fish anywhere you want? How can a Southport tournament be called that if you're fishing off Morehead? Without boundries, it becomes an Atlantic Ocean Open tournament. The days of folks trailering to a tournament site, renting motel rooms and perhaps a slip have gone by the wayside. So much for any local economy benifiting from the tournament.
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2005 McKee 23 TE/FS with 200 Zukes
50 Ton Masters with Towing Endorsement.
Boundries yes. Check outs - no. Agree with the 50 mile north or south. All of us that fish tournaments must fish waters that we don't normally fish. Isn't that part of having tournaments all along the coast? Otherwise, like mentioned in an above post, call all tournaments an Atlantic Ocean Open.
I like the checkouts and boundries.* The checkouts prevent teams from going out in the pitch dark in large numbers (its a*safety thing).* I am not a fan of running a lot of boats in the dark, with or without radars.* I wonder how many captains, while*zipping along*in the dark,*have run into floating trees, freezers and other*debris caused by the storms in the south eastern.* I have heard of a number of accidents.* Heavy boat traffic running offshore in the dark*creates an additional burden on the potential emergency rescue teams.*
I know what some are saying "nobody is making anybody go out in the dark".....yet, all it takes is a few boats trying to get the jump on the field and more boaters will follow.* Many of those captains and boats are not prepared to run rivers, inlets and the ocean in the dark.* Why encourage risky behavior if you can reasonably avoid it?
While I will admit checkouts create an advantage for the go-fast boats (I have one), boundries reduce that advantage dramatically.* A go fast will beat a slower boat to a spot 40 miles away, but it won't be long before the slower boat shows up to join the fun.*
The neat thing is that there is a very large number of tournaments with all*kinds of rules - got to love the freedom of choice!*
I like the "freedom of choice" bit. Any tournament that doesn't have reasonable boundries, I choose not to fish. Its gotten to the point that boats that fish out of Morehead or Charleston can compete in a Holden Beach tournament. All thats doing is letting people pay the entry and fish "wherever". Thats not what local tournaments should permit. That being the case, I choose to not fish it.
If I want to fish a tournament out of Morehead, I'll go there and pay for a motel room and slip, as I'd expect it to have boundries in that area. I'm not from that area, and wouldn't expect to be able to fish in my local waters, but to me thats a part of competitive tournament fishing. Yes, I may think that the larger fish may be outside the boundries, but thats part of the competetive fun. I'll vote for boundries and have no problem with checkouts.
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2005 McKee 23 TE/FS with 200 Zukes
50 Ton Masters with Towing Endorsement.
Several of you have the same thought that some how an event needs to "stay local". I find that interesting, why do you feel that way? These events are held to raise money for charities or worthwhile causes (like fire dept. and such). If I ran my own event, I would do whatever it takes to get local support AND have the highest number of participates. Unless "keeping it local" significantly raises the number of entries, wouldn't you want to do whatever you could to increase participation? That is where the real quandry comes in, what really does impact the number of boats. Some of you stated you will not fish a no boundries tournament, I know a lot of guys that will not fish a boundries tournament (I am not talking about tournaments with boundries like "NC State waters"). If I am running my own event, which way should you go? I talked with Barrett McMullen about this very point. He and his brother Brant run two king events and have put boundries in. One of the events, the Jolly Mon, is one of the top three events in NC each year. On the other hand, the US Open and ABKMT with checkouts and no boundries are usually the largest two. Bottom line it is not clear which one has the biggest impact on attendance. As one poster points out, there are enough events in NC where you can pick and choose which one works for you.
Boundries, no check out and lie detector test for the top winners seems to work.
What happened to keeping tournaments fair and honest by holding the ramdom lie detector test over the teams head.
I only know of one tournament that still uses them on a regular basis and they do the top 3 each year. I don't remember them ever having a problem with people staying in those boundries.
I have read this thread a couple of times and I am not a King Mackeral tournament fisherman. Fish the tournaments you want and dont fish the ones you dont want. If you dont like boundries or have a problem with them stay home and go golfing. On the other hand if like boundries go fishing. If its to rough for your boat or boating skills, no one is twisting your arm be smart and stay home. Give up the entry fee its not worth a life. There are to many ways to see what the weather is like to take a chance. If the weather says 6-8ft seas and 20knt. winds my boat would be staying where it sits and forget the entry fee they can have it. Im no fishing on my knees. If you dont like the fish limit dont fish it you will make your point. If you feel that the fish limit is fine knock yourself out and fish.
The "lines in the water" time and the necessity of catching bait should limit those heading out the inlets before light. To me making those long runs in the ICW @ 55 mph (in a no boundaries tourney) is much more of a safety issue and puts a black eye on the SKA crowd as well.
I agree that Capt Brant runs a couple of the best tournament, but I think ABKMT and US Open get higher numbers due to tradition and the greater population they draw from.
I don't have much of an issue with boundaries b/c I typically stay within 50 miles of weigh in regardless of any number of factors. I could take them or leave them. I am not a fan of the checkouts. Too much of a pain in the backside. I want to leave when I want to leave.
Offshore, obviously we all have freedom of choice. This thread was not and is not a bitch session about boundries or checkouts, just a discussion on the pro's and con's of each, both or neither. You can tell by the responses that those that fish tournaments have different prespectives on the merits of them which was the original question.
Thoughts about Tournaments 
for boundaries and the 
for checkouts. 
A Southport tourney or a Morehead City tourney should weigh only fish caught only in the Southport or Morehead area. I only fish a couple of tourneys a year, so my participation or lack thereof will not be missed, but I will not fish a "no-check-out" tourney. 
